The Great Bandit of Arendelle
by T. Prota
Summary: Three years before Elsa's coronation, the kingdom was controlled by a corrupt prime minister and his subjects. Three years after her parents died, Anna didn't always stay in the castle. Now, after regaining the monarchy, they must now try to correct what has been wronged.
1. Chapter 1: The Armory and the Forest

**Summary: Three years before Elsa's coronation, the kingdom was controlled by a corrupt prime minister and his subjects. Three years after her parents died, Anna didn't always stay in the castle. Now, after regaining the monarchy, they must now try to correct what has been wronged.**

**Note: New story– this first part is Pre-Frozen**

* * *

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

Nothing changed. It was always the same boring ticking and tocking all day and all night. The only thing that ever actually interested her was when the old grandfather clock had chimed into a new hour. But when you spend half the day talking to paintings and the other half of the day watching the time pass by, even that becomes boring.

Princess Anna of Arendelle was 11 years old and bored, to put it bluntly. Ever since her sister, Princess Elsa, had moved out of their room and locked herself in a room on the opposite side of the castle, Anna had wasted her time away in boredom.

Of course, watching the clock and talking to paintings weren't the only things that she did. She had actually spent an extensive amount of time in the library. She'd read books of adventure and fantasy, wishing that one day, she could be able to make a story of her own.

That was where she found herself now. She sat on a leather wing chair with a finished book on her lap as she stared at the grandfather clock placed beside the fireplace of the library.

She had finished the book a few hours ago, but she had found herself too lazy to search for another book. Instead, the eleven year old just sat there staring at the clock for three hours, lost in her thoughts. The silence of the library was deafening, the cause of it was that there was not but one soul in the large room.

But Anna didn't mind, not really, not anymore. Especially after getting used to the loneliness of the large castle. Ever since Elsa locked herself in her room, Anna found herself suddenly alone. The servants that had been her friends had been fired from the castle and only the older, more experienced servants were left in the castle. Even her mother and father stayed to themselves and only roamed the castle when they were needed. So Anna spent the whole time bored, trying to find ways to entertain herself.

As Anna watched the clock, her thoughts had wandered. She had begun having a daydream that followed the plot of the book she had been reading. Except this time, she was the main character. She daydreamed how the book's plot might have changed if she was the main protagonist. The book's plot was pretty easy to follow. It was about a thief named Robin Hood who stole from the rich and wealthy after seeing corruption and gave his stolen items to the poor. Of course, the eleven year old never dreamed of killing people who got in her way, but she did dream about the heroics of Robin Hood and his band of Merrymen.

She dreamed about the sword fighting and the arrow shooting, the danger and adrenaline awarded by the happiness of the people. It was that thought that brought an idea into the eleven year old Anna's mind.

Leaping up from her seat, the book fell to the floor and Anna ran out of the library and off into another part of the castle. Flying down the corridors of the castle, she'd gotten weird looks of questioning by the staff. Usually, they knew that when she was this energetic she had formulated a plan; and a plan she had.

Anna stopped at the end of a corridor close to the kitchens where a purple vase was placed on top of a small wooden table. Underneath it, she knew the wall panel opened up and lead into the old abandoned armory of the castle. (She'd found it one time after accidentally knocking down the previous blue vase and looking for a place to hide.) Checking around to make sure no one had followed or was looking, she opened the panel by the little knob at the side (small enough to be hidden from sight) and climbed inside.

It was small and dark, but it was big enough for eleven year old Anna to easily climb into. Sucking up the doubt and uncertainty that had suddenly washed over her, the eleven year old forced herself to climb through on her hands and knees, and kept crawling until her face bumped into the other door. Anna sighed in relief and gingerly pushed open the exit panel and was met with the sight of dusty, yet sharp and rusting weapons.

The armory wasn't very big; it looked the size of her parents' bedroom. The whole room was made of stone and the main door was made of wood like all other rooms in the castle. However, it did have a chilly feeling since it was just a storage room, lacking any internal heating place/vents. Around the room was a various array of weapons that hung on the walls and strewn about the few shelves.

"Wow," Anna breathed in amazement. She climbed out of the panel and distractedly dusted herself off as she looked around the room in amazement. The girl stood there for a minute before a certain weapon caught her eye. Anna walked towards the weapon laying in the corner of the room. With wide eyes, Anna picked it up.

It was a wooden training sword used for the squires when they had trained to be a knight. Anna stared at it for a while before swinging it experimentally. It wasn't light, but it was heavy enough for an eleven year old to use since squires would have gone into training at her age. Anna smiled, fondly swinging the sword around once more.

Oh yes, this would help pass the time.

* * *

A twelve-year-old Anna ran down the corridor to a table with a purple vase atop it and flung open the little hidden door. She climbed in and entered the armory before finally breaking down on the stone floor. She had asked Elsa today, as usual, but she had gotten a different response. She supposed Elsa had finally broke, but that didn't stop the tears from falling after remembering what her big sister had said earlier than morning.

Elsa had shouted through the doorway after Anna had asked to make a snowman, telling her to leave and how tired she was of her knocking. Elsa had said how she was just a spare and wanted nothing to do with her. Anna backed up in shock and Elsa immediately began apologizing, regretting everything that had come from her mouth. But Anna didn't stay to listen to Elsa's apologies after panicking when Elsa had _actually_ tried to open the door. Instead, she ran to her armory, leaving behind a distraught Elsa after her.

Little did she know that Elsa had accidentally caused a blizzard in her room due to her anger of having to stay hidden after she had watched Anna playing outside in the castle courtyard, a few hours before, happy and playing with a butterfly. She had accidentally blown up at Anna because she had been jealous, but that didn't prove well after she had immediately regretted everything and started causing a blizzard even worse than before inside her room.

Anna crawled into a ball to a corner of the armory, sobbing to herself as Elsa's words repeated in her head.

_Get out. Leave. Tired of you. Just a spare. Want nothing to do with you._

Her lower lip trembled and her hand scrambled the floor, finding an object. The object was the Robin Hood book she had brought into the armory after a few days of finding the wooden swords when she had been eleven. Anna's hand grasped around the leather-bound spine of the book and found herself throwing it at the opposite wall's empty torchholder.

The torchholder didn't break, but it was pulled down in a way that it looked like some sort of lever. To her surprise, she the stone wall underneath the torch holder slid in and opened like a sort of door.

Anna stood up and wiped her face from the tears and with curiosity, stepped towards the new door. She glanced at the torch holder that was bent down and then quickly grabbed a small stool. She stood on it and pushed the torch holder back up to its original place. This time, stone door closed and slid back in as if it were just a part of the wall. Anna's eyes widened and she gasped, _Where could this door lead to?_

She pulled the torch holder down once again and the wall panel slid in and opened up again. The twelve-year-old grinned before looking back at the other panel that led back into the castle corridor adjacent to the kitchen.

_I am not going up there, not for a while_, Anna thought to herself. She grabbed a spare torch on one of the shelves and struck a match. She lit the torch and quickly blew out the small flame before it could burn her. Anna stepped towards the wall, but paused and looked back. Her eye caught sight of the wooden sword resting on one of the shelves. Making a swift second decision, Anna ran, grabbed the sword, and fled through the new and mysterious doorway.

Immediately, she was encased in darkness with nothing but the torch in her hand used as light. Anna squinted, holding the torch out in front of her. She found that she was in a large dirty passageway, the ceiling and walls made of a stone but the floor made of compact soil. She looked down the hall but could not find where it led to. She was instantly intrigued, and she swallowed down fear as she made her way down the long passageway.

The passageway curved left before a right turn was made into a dead-end. Anna blinked back in confusion. Why would someone make so much trouble in creating a secret passageway only for the passageway to lead into a dead-end? Questions racketed Anna's mind and her eyes drifted off to a torchholder on the side. She tilted her head and a small smile played on her lips.

Anna set the torch she was holding in the torch holder and it immediately had the same effect as the one in the armory. A small rectangular part of the wall in front of her slid in and, like a door, swung open on some hinges. Immediately, light flooded in from the stone door into the dark corridor, causing Anna to squint her eyes at the sudden brightness.

Anna extended her arm and pushed open the door and was met with the sight and smell of pine trees. She glanced backwards in worry before hesitantly stepping through the stone door.

Her foot fell on grass and dirt for the first time in so many years. Anna found herself in front of a stone wall in the middle of a forest. She guessed that it was just the hills outside the castle, judging from the distance she had walked in the long corridor. She looked up and saw the tall stone wall towering over her. Somehow, the corridor had been built underneath the walls that connected the castle to somewhere over the mountains. It had led to the hill right inside the walls, north of the village.

Anna glanced at the wooden sword in her hand that she had momentarily forgotten. There in the forest, she decided, she would spend her free time whenever she had wanted get away from the castle. She had a feeling she would be spending a lot more time in these woods in the years to come.

* * *

**Boring opening, So here's my plan for what is to come. I'd give about 3 to 5 (depends how long I write and how I decide to pace my writing) chapters before the events of Frozen. Afterward, the real story begins. I suspect maybe 15 to 20 chapters before reaching the end? I don't know, we'll see.**

**Updates will be once a week.**

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	2. Chapter 2: The Cracked Mace

_**Summary: **_**Three years before Elsa's coronation, the kingdom was controlled by a corrupt prime minister and his subjects. Three years after her parents died, Anna didn't always stay in the castle. Now, after regaining the monarchy, they must now try to correct what has been wronged.**

***Note: Chapter 2 of 6 Pre-Frozen Chapters **

* * *

Anna was_ mad_.

No, she was _angry_.

Scratch that, she was_ enraged_.

She was enraged and _hostile,_ actually.

The reason she was like this had transpired earlier that morning. You see, all Anna had wanted to do was go outside of the castle on her own, without any guards _on her birthday._ She had been dying to ask her parents the day before and when she had finally summoned enough courage to ask, they had flatly refused.

* * *

"_I want to go outside."_

_The spoons her parents had been holding clashed to the table and a pause overcame the royal family. The newly turned 14-year-old tilted her head in confusion as she glanced at the faces of those occupying the table. _

_The 17-year-old Elsa had begrudgingly dragged herself out of her room–a rare sight to behold–and had actually seated herself on the main table in the dining hall, choosing to eat breakfast with her family for once. Anna glanced at her sister and saw panic with a hint of confusion written on her face as she looked from their parents and to her. Instantly, she began having doubts, but she pushed it aside when she remembered that it was her birthday, she was now fourteen, and she had been living inside the castle for too long. And when she did go outside, it was all in secret, and frankly, she was getting tired of the secrecy. For once, she wanted to go outside without worrying about getting caught or getting into trouble. Unfortunately, that would be denied of her._

"_No." Her father had answered bluntly. His wife had shot him a look of questioning, but he did not relent._

"_But father, I've just turned fourteen surely I can-"_

"_No," her father repeated with an irritated tone, "You can do anything you want in the castle. You do not need to step foot in the village. You are safer and-"_

"_Bored!" Anna exclaimed cutting him off. She jumped up in her seat, "I can do anything in the castle. But when you've been _doing_ the same things for the past eleven years, it no longer gets fun!" From the corner of her eye, she saw her sister grimace at her statement. She looked as if she were guilty for keeping the castle doors closed and Anna's boredom. But Anna ignored her as she stared at her father helplessly._

"_Anna-"_

"_Please! Its only just for the day and its not even cold outside. I just want to go and walk around the village. Father, please, its my birthday!"_

_The king stood up from his seat, his eyes set, "I don't want to hear any more of this, Anna. You will stay in the castle. I will hear no more arguments."_

"_But-"_

"_No more!" he shouted. The king felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to his left and saw the queen with sympathy in her eyes. He looked again to his two daughters. One wore a stricken expression, glancing worriedly at her younger sister. The youngest wore a hurt expression as her eyes began to tear up, but she held them back._

_With a slight sniffle, she replied with gritted teeth, "Yes, _father_." Before anyone else could do or say anything more about the matter, Anna ran out of the dining hall, leaving the three staring after her in silence and regret. _

* * *

Anna had run to her armory in tears. Immediately, she had picked up her wooden sword, a wooden mace, and a small bow and arrow (she had yet to learn) and pulled down the torchholder. The stone door slid open and Anna grabbed the lit torch before making her way down the long, damp halls. In truth, she was seething underneath. She kept her growing anger pent-up until she had reached the other exit. As soon as her foot hit the grass, Anna threw herself in a sprint towards the clearing she had found a year ago.

After entering the clearing, Anna removed the bow and arrows from her back and with the wooden sword, threw them at a large rock nearby and clutched the old wooden mace. She let her eyes scan around the clearing before it found the target. It was located in front of a huge pine tree that stood in the center of the clearing and towered above all the other trees. A year ago, Anna had dragged a training dummy from the armory into the woods, fully intent on training herself to become a warrior. But she found herself unexperienced and saw the problem in her plan. She had no training or anybody to teach her. Letting her anger get the best of her, Anna marched up to the dummy and began swinging her wooden mace at it.

And that was where she found herself now. She stood, whacking the dummy with all her strength. After a while she would find her muscles tiring, so she would stand back for a few seconds, catch her breath, then go back to unceremoniously striking the inanimate cotton, sand, and straw filled cloth with a wooden mace.

She continued this for who knows how long, but after a while, she began to feel the effects of the hot, afternoon sun. Even as sweat dribbled down her face, she refused to back down. One last surge of anger came over her and she swung at the dummy with all her might. The contact caused the dummy to fly off its pedestal and break the wooden ball of the mace, regarding it useless. Anna stared at the broken mace head as she panted violently.

"That was very relentless, but I suggest you take a break before you overstrain your muscles," a gruff voice commented behind her. Alarmed, Anna swung around with the broken mace handle in front of her to find a late middle-aged man standing with his back to against the rock where she had flung her other weapons at earlier.

The man, from where she was standing, towered her at 6'3'' (At the moment she was 5' 2"). He had a receding grey hairline, but sported sideburns and a full goatee, both also greying. He stood tall and confident, as if his age didn't matter. He wore a simple dark brown tunic and trousers, but around his neck, he wore a forest green stole with dim-gold shoulder marks and ended at his waist. On his belt, he wore a scabbard with an undrawn sword in it. It was the stole and sword that gave away his identity.

"You're a Master-at-Arms," Anna stated as she lowered the broken mace handle. In Arendelle, only the Master-at-Arms wore such a stole like he was wearing.

"Master Kylos, if you please," the older man replied, not denying the statement. He continued, "And though I may just be a master, I am also a guard of this realm. Some villagers have reported hearing someone '_beating_' something in the forest." He looked pointedly at the discarded dummy, then back at Anna who bit her lip, "So I decided to see for myself. Tell me, what is your business with inflicting imaginary wounds on a nonexistent–and might I add, helpless–enemy?"

"Nothing," Anna said, still a bit out of breath, "I just needed to vent, that's all." She walked towards the rock he had been leaning against and picked up her bow, quiver, and wooden sword. "I'll just go."

"Do you even know how to use that?" the old man asked, grabbing her bow and pulling her back before she had a chance of running away.

"No… but I have a book," Anna answered shortly. Soon after she had found the armory, she snuck a few books from the castle's library into the room. The topics had ranged from parts of a weapon to the history of a weapon. She had been meaning to read the 'how-to-use' books, but the new lessons that her parents had made her take had gotten in the way of that plan.

"Books do not do justice," the master remarked, "You are going to hurt yourself if you are not trained properly."

Anna blinked; he was right. She knew weapons were hands-on, nothing you could learn from a book. And knowing her clumsiness, she probably would hurt herself. The fourteen year old looked at him questioningly, "Well what am I supposed to do? Like I said, I just came here to vent. It's not like I'm going to really need to use a weapon, anyway."

The old man chuckled before replying. "In my opinion, everyone needs to learn how to use one weapon. You never know when you may actually need to protect yourself," he said.

Anna nodded in agreement, "I understand what you are saying, master… sir… whatever. But I'm just being stupid out here anyway. So if you'd please, I have better get going. My parents are probably looking for me anyway."

She tugged the bow from the old man's grasp and turned away to walk off when the Master-at-Arms called to her, "Even a princess needs to know how to defend herself."

Anna gasped and whipped back around. She had never told him that she was a princess. Now she was worried he would tell her parents about her secret outings to the forest. "H-how do you know that? Did anybody tell you?" She raised her wooden sword as threateningly as she could at him.

The old man only pushed away the wooden stick, "Careful, you will poke someone's eye out with that." Anna only glared in response, so he added, "I am an old soul dear. You would not think I would recognize the family members was protecting?" She dropped her arm, bringing down the wooden sword and he continued, "Besides, I remember when I was training the new recruits that you and that sister of yours would be playing in the courtyard. Loud, you were, for only two little princesses." He tilted his head at her and asked, "What are you truly doing out here, princess?"

Though reluctant in trusting the man, Anna let her guard down and paused before hesitantly replying, "It's… kind of my birthday and my parents won't let me go down into the village all by myself…"

"I take it nobody knows you are here?"

Anna blushed in embarrassment, "Yeah… there's this sort of secret passage and… I just got angry, okay? I don't suppose you know why they closed the gate?" She looked at him with a hopeful gleam in her eye. If she was going to be sent back, she might as well know why the castle gates are closed.

He only responded with a shake of his head, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I don't know either."

Anna's shoulders sagged in disappointment, "Its alright, I've been let down in my life enough that this shouldn't have surprised me." She sighed before looking at him in the eye, "I'm sorry, Master Kylos-... sir, but please don't tell my parents I was out here. I promise to stay in the castle and never come out here or touch these weapons ever again."

Instead of responding to her words, the master asked, "Why do you have these weapons with you in the first place? How did you acquire them?"

Anna was taken aback. He hadn't answered her pleas. But she decided that she should answer his questions, in hopes that he would accept her pleas and not report her to her parents. She blushed, remembering her eleven year old self's motivation. "I was reading some books and then I got bored so I went to an abandoned armory in the castle that I had discovered a while back. Those weapons were there and I was reading Robin Hood and I got really impressed by the hero… I guess I just wanted to feel what it was like to, um, be a hero."

He raised an amused eyebrow at her, "Let me guess. You were planning on training yourself to become a hero like him."

Anna rubbed her arm, as she looked to the ground in humiliation, "Heh, yeah. I know, kind of unrealistic…"

Kylos pursed his lips before shaking his head, "Actually, not at all." Anna looked back up at him with a small, sad smile.

The princess did not behave much like a princess, Kylos noted. She didn't speak with a tone so confident it sounded condescending, like most royals he knew did. Sure, she would give him a short reply, but most of the time, she spoke in an awkward, stuttering manner, as if she didn't speak to people on a regular basis. He supposed it was because of the closing of the castle, they didn't let anybody in, so they probably didn't let anybody out, even the princess. The repercussion of that action not only affected the staff and villagers, but it caused the princess to lack the social skills she needed if she were to rule. Now, instead, he saw a simple girl who had been let down too many times by those close around her.

"I'll tell you what, your majesty, you meet me here in two days time with that sword, that bow, and a few arrows of yours right before the dawn breaks, and I'll teach you how to use each one of them," Kylos said.

Anna's eyes widened in astonishment and disbelief. "What?" she managed to stutter out.

"Meet me here in two days time with your weapons before dawn breaks and I'll teach you how to use them," Kylos repeated. His eyes and tone softened, "Consider it as a birthday present, your Highness. I promise I will tell no one, especially your parents, of our little lesson, nor of our encounter today and–what I assume–of your previous visits."

Anna let a smile flicker on her face before she found herself throwing her arms around the man in a hug. "Oh my gods, thank you," Anna said as she found herself smiling for the first time in what felt like forever.

Kylos was taken aback by Anna's sudden hug, but patted her back after remembering what it felt like when his daughter had last hugged him. Unfortunately, his daughter had passed away a few years ago, due to some sickness. Coincidentally, she had been the same age as Anna before she passed away.

"Its the least I can do, your Highness," Kylos bowed respectfully as soon as the fourteen year old released him, "Happy Birthday."

Anna pulled away and looked him in the eye one last time, "Thank you." She smiled and then left the clearing and the Master-at-Arms behind.

_One good thing that actually happened today._

* * *

**Yeah, I know. A bit iffy on the stranger trusted very easily, but what do you expect of Anna? She's younger than ever and she's still looking for someone to at least pay attention to her. I guess it's just kind of a thing with Hans, hopefully this story will lead you to believe that Kylos was the first stranger who was a kind soul, so Anna just safely assumed that Hans would just be like that. Except he's younger, her age, and her "true love".**

**Extra information on Kylos:**

**• He has been Master-at-Arms in Arendelle 2 years before Elsa was born.****  
• 54 years old  
****• His only daughter died at 14 due to pneumonia, when Anna was 4 (after Elsa struck her with the ice, and her memories wiped)  
****• After the castle of Arendelle closed the doors, he was taken to the walls that lead up to the mountains to act as a guard.  
****• Pronounce his name (`Kī lōs)**

**Just to clear things up.**

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	3. Chapter 3: Master Kylos

**Summary: Three years before Elsa's coronation, the kingdom was controlled by a corrupt prime minister and his subjects. Three years after her parents died, Anna didn't always stay in the castle. Now, after regaining the monarchy, they must now try to correct what has been wronged.**

**Note: Chapter 3 of 6 of Pre-Frozen Chapters**

* * *

"Okay, remember what I've told you. Be patient with your bow and arrow. Yes. Good. Now draw it and make sure you remember your basics… Careful… Good. Remember, strong stance, lock onto your target… Good… Now let it go."

The arrow was released from the bow and flew a couple of yards before it hit the ground… 5 feet from the hay-stuffed shooting target it was intended to hit.

Anna let out a frustrated sigh and threw her arms to her side. Kylos only raised an eyebrow at her, "Did you think it was going to be easy as eating a cake? Give yourself a break, its only your first lesson."

"Yeah, well…" Anna said disappointed, "It probably gonna be my last…"

"What _are _you talking about, young lady?" Kylos asked.

Anna returned the confused look he was giving her, "I thought that this lesson was just a one time thing… since, you know, it was just a gift for my birthday…"

Kylos suddenly understood. Anna had thought that two days ago, his birthday present to her was a lesson in weaponry training. But she had only thought it was one lesson since she was under the impression that he was only giving it to her for free since she was a princess and she had just turned 14. He finally understood the eagerness she had first displayed as soon as the two had met up a couple of hours earlier that morning.

* * *

_Anna dashed out of her bed as soon as she heard the grandfather clock chime 5 o'clock. By this time, the servants were preparing for the day. Everyday they woke up at around 5 o'clock to prepare the royals' breakfast as well as eat some of their own before the royal family awoke. However, this meant that since the servants were still preparing/eating breakfast, nobody was in the royals' corridor at the time, meaning that Anna was the only soul awake in the hallway._

_As quietly as she could, Anna dressed herself up in a simple tunic, trousers, and some leather boots she had acquired the day before in secrecy. She grabbed her green hooded cape before going over to the door and opening it as quietly as she could. To her advantage, Elsa and her parents were located on the opposite side of the corridor from Anna's room, so she didn't have to worry a lot about the noise her bedroom door made. Silently, Anna tip-toed pass the sleeping royals' doors and successfully made it into the staircase. Deciding that going down the stairs on foot would cause too much noise, Anna hopped up on the railing and slid down, jumping off the railing at the right time to avoid hitting the suits of armor at the bottom of the staircase. _

_Anna smiled; so far so good. _

_Anna turned at the hallway and headed for the corridor by kitchen where the secret entrance into the armory was located. She passed by the many halls when she was stopped by a voice behind her. _

"_Princess Anna?" _

_Anna cursed to herself, before turning around and meeting the gaze of one of the castle's servant girls. Lise–Anna thought, remembering the servant's name. She was a girl of 16 with dirty blond hair, green eyes, and a light skin complexion. She had been Elsa's personal maidservant. However, Anna's maidservant had fallen sick in the past month, so Lise took on Anna's maidservant's job for the past few weeks. Anna said nothing and only stared at her._

"_Sorry, your highness, but what are you doing up so early?" Lise asked. It was known around the castle that Anna was always the last to get up, so it certainly was surprise to see her awake and dressed at this time in the early morning. _

"_Uhh, bathroom?" Anna said, unable to form a lie. How could she not have thought far ahead and make up a cover story? The dirty blonde looked at her reluctantly, obviously not believing Anna._

"_I may just be a maidservant, your highness, but I am not daft," Lise stated._

_Anna smiled slightly, "I can see why Elsa likes you… I mean as a friend. She's not… No... I'm sorry, what?" Her and her blubbering mouth._

_Lise didn't seem to mind. Instead she returned the smile to the young Princess, "Its alright, Your Highness. But forgive me for asking, why are you down here sneaking through the castle's corridors?"_

_Anna bit her lip. Should she tell her? Should she just come up with another lie? But then, a thought struck Anna's mind. How can she go and train with Master Kylos if no one knew where she was? The fourteen year old stared straight into the sixteen year old's eyes, "Alright, I'll tell you, but you've got to promise me one thing…"_

* * *

_Anna dusted herself off as she climbed out of the secret passage, leading into her armory. She had told Lise about everything and asked her to cover for her. Luckily, Lise agreed and promised to cover her whereabouts as best as she could. The maidservant had felt sympathy for the Princess, who never stepped foot outside the castle except in secrecy. Besides, the girl had just turned fourteen with no gift of freedom. So Lise agreed and Anna, in response, had hugged her before rushing off into the armory._

_Grabbing her bow, a quiver with arrows, and her wooden sword, Anna pulled down the torch holder which led the secret door into opening. She struck a match and lit a torch before stepping into the damp passageway. She had remembered that the wall above her was built on a strip of land that connected the castle to the mountains as water surrounded both sides of the wall until it reached the mainland, making the passageway always damp. _

_Mindful of where she was stepping, Anna did her best to make it to the other door as best as she could without slipping. An experience she found that she was not too fond of. (She had been running and accidentally slipped on a puddle she didn't see. She ended up breaking her arm when she was 13 and had to stay to make a cover-up story before she crawled back up to the castle. Needless to say, her parents were not pleased.)_

_Anna checked on her new pocket watch that the senior butler, Kai, had given her for her birthday as soon as she had returned from meeting Kylos. She was pleased that someone else had given her something, so she made a mental note to thank Kai next time she crossed paths with him. _

_The clock read 5:30 AM and sunrise was at 6 around at this time of year. She knew she was a bit early, but the excitement of actually being trained to wield a weapon made Anna jittery. _

_But a thought came across her mind. Two days ago, the master, Kylos, had said he that the lesson was a present, meaning singular. With dread, Anna realized that this would probably be her first and last lesson. Determination settled into her eyes and she kept on walking; she was going to do her best on this lesson and remember everything he taught her before the lesson ended. That way, she could practice on her own; with or without a Master-at-Arms._

* * *

"You think this is your only lesson?" Kylos inquired, amused.

"What?" Anna couldn't help the bewildered expression showing on her face.

"Surely, you know it takes more than one lesson to become expertly skilled in the art of weaponry," Kylos stated.

"But, I thought-"

"You thought I was only giving you one lesson? Definitely not, young lady, unless you wish to quit…"

"NO!" Anna exclaimed, her bemused expression morphing into a look of delight, "No, I mean that I want to continue. But I just thought that you have other work to do…"

Kylos understood she was talking about, "I am a Master-at-Arms, but with no one to train. Ever since the castle doors had closed, no more guards than necessary were hired. I don't need to train anybody else. And as for guard's duty, I'm just a supervisor over the other guards, and on occasion, out on patrol."

"You won't get fired or anything?" Anna asked timidly.

Kylos chuckled before answering, "No, most of the guards don't really do anything. We just roam around the kingdom, checking on any signs of trouble. And if you can keep a secret, some guards actually just play with cards and dice while on duty. There isn't much to guard when the Kingdom is run by good rulers, and the town, in turn, is hospitable."

"You're really gonna help me, huh?" Anna grinned up at the older gentleman. Somebody was actually taking the time out of their life to actually spend time with her. Eleven years with nobody to play with was too long.

Kylos smiled, "Like I've said before, Your highness; even a Princess needs to know how to defend herself." He picked up Anna's wooden sword and tossed it at her, "Besides, we can't keep you up in that castle with nothing to do. We still need to practice your sword skills."

* * *

For months, their training session took place every other day from early morning to noon (sometimes, it would go into the early afternoon). Anna always made it back in time for lunch, before her parents could question her whereabouts. At first, they had been concerned by Anna's day-to-day disappearance, finding the castle strangely quiet, but they had soon learned to shrug it off, content in thinking that Anna had found something to do in her spare time that didn't include talking to paintings or breaking something.

From time-to-time, Lise had to cover for Anna when something unexpected came up, but the Princess was never caught sneaking out of the castle.

It had been 8 months since Anna's birthday and their first training session. The king and queen had gone off to some far off land to discuss trade issues and left Anna and Elsa behind. To no one's surprise, Elsa locked herself up in her room for the day. Anna, however, met up with Kylos and decided that they could train until the stars came out.

So they did. For months, Anna had worked hard in her lessons with Kylos. They soon formed a friendship between teacher and student. Kylos was her mentor, not just in weaponry, but in other things; he gave her advice and tutored her when she was having a hard time with her school lessons. (Their schedule worked perfectly. Since Anna's weaponry training came every other day, her school lessons filled the days in-between.)

Anna was getting good at her weaponry skills since it was the only thing she could look forward to in her week. A couple of lessons down the line, she was able to shoot the target, and rarely, she was able to get a bullseye. She was working on hitting the inside rings while under pressure. Her sword skills had surpassed her archery skills, however. From the first lesson, she was able to easily grasp the concept, impressing even Kylos.

The two worked the whole day and took a break at lunch before continuing on into the evening and after the sunset. By the time the two had finally finished, the stars were out and the castle and village below had their lanterns lit.

Anna plopped down to the edge of the clearing which dropped a steep downward slope, making it hard for people to climb up from below. Beside her, Kylos sat down and placed a picnic basket in between them. The night was clear and the sight below was beautiful. The sight of the castle and village below always caught Anna's breath whenever the night fell.

On the other side of the picnic basket, Kylos took out two sandwiches and two canteens. He handed her a sandwich and canteen and began eating.

"Thanks," Anna said, taking a bite of the roast beef sandwich, "Mmm, tell Frida that these are delicious as usual."

Anna had met Kylos's wife a couple of months back. At first, Frida had been surprised that her husband was teaching the Princess of Arendelle in weaponry, but she soon found Anna delightful and glad that her husband was back to doing what he loved. She agreed to keep their secret and sometimes (in disguise, of course) Anna would dine with them when she got the chance. The old couple treated Anna as they would with their child, but they always grew sad when they remembered their daughter's fate.

"I'll be sure to tell her that," Kylos laughed, "Now let's work on your astronomy." One of her school subjects was astronomy and Anna had been struggling with the constellations. When she had told Kylos this one day, he told her that astronomy was an important way with connecting with their ancestors as well as navigation.

Anna rolled her eyes, but didn't protest, "Uhh, there's Ursa Major right there." The two practiced this and Kylos would every-so-often correct her mistakes.

"If you look hard enough, princess," Kylos pointed to a celestial object, "There's Venus, sometimes thought to be the Morning star."

Anna let a small smile grace her lips as Kylos nodded at her. She found herself getting lost in her thoughts. Her boring little life had changed in a few months. She had Kylos and Frida filling in that parental role her real parents weren't able to fill in. She had Lise, who after a few months became one of her best friends, and looked after her like an older sister, sometimes scolding her for not being careful enough. Anna frowned, she loved Elsa, but when there's always a door in between the two sisters, you find yourself at a distance.

"A penny for your thoughts, child?" Kylos asked, taking Anna out from her reverie. He knew that the Princess was young and sometimes would get lost in her thoughts, a habit she picked up after spending her time alone in the castle.

In answer, Anna posed a question she had wondered about for a long time, "Why are you doing this?"

"Excuse me, your highness?"

"I mean, why are you helping me with the training? And don't tell me it was my birthday present, because after so long, people would eventually shut me out. I know that you probably have another reason instead of my birthday present after coming and helping me out every other day for the past 8 months. So now I'm curious, why are you doing this?"

Anna stared at the older gentleman who fell silent. After a while of racking his brain for an answer he replied, "I suppose I should tell you about my daughter."

"You have a daughter?"

Kylos tilted his head, "_Had._"

Anna's expression turned from curious to somber, "Oh, I'm…"

"It's been a while now, Frida and I have come to terms with it," Kylos said, cutting off her apology. He continued fondly, "Her name was Irene and she was beautiful. She took after her mother, but inherited my jaw."

"How old was she?" Anna whispered, afraid she'll ruin the moment.

"She was as old you are now when she passed away," Kylos responded, "She'd caught pneumonia and unfortunately didn't survive."

Anna only nodded, not replying. So Kylos continued, "She kind of reminds me of you–somewhat. She was always a quiet sort of girl, a little shy when you first meet her, but once you get to know her, she was spiteful and vibrant. Anyway, she passed away the year after your parents closed the gates. She would have loved to meet you.

"The point is, Anna, you may remind me of my daughter, but that's not the reason why I helped you. I helped you because I saw a lonely child who has been disappointed too many times; too many doors shut in her face. And I couldn't leave you alone like that. Life must be spent living out fully, and I couldn't deny you of that experience by walking back into the castle without ever going back outside.

"And you've touched Frida, also. She'd had a hard time moving on from Irene. I wasn't going to tell her without your permission, but you insisted and you brought her hope again. She's always wondering when you could have dinner with us. Because although we try to deny it, you may not be our daughter, but we care greatly about you."

Tears formed on Anna's eyes, and before she could stop herself, she launched herself to Kylos, hugging him tightly. Kylos was momentarily taken aback by the sudden display of emotion, but eventually returned the hug. Anna broke away as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Sorry, it's just, its been a while since…" She broke off, averting her gaze from Kylos. Kylos tilted her chin up so she would look at his old eyes.

"There is more than one type of family you know," Kylos said. Anna smiled, its been a while since she'd had family.

* * *

**Long Author's Note here:**

**I hoped you enjoyed this, sorry it took so long though. I've been meaning to write a chapter which would explain Kylos and Anna's relationship. From the movie, I'd gathered that Anna wasn't very close to her parents since they had locked the gates. That point might be overstretched in this chapter, but Anna had had a lonely childhood shown in the song "**_**For the First Time in Forever**_**". In this chapter, I just made her mother and father a bit more concerned for Elsa's well-being than Anna's childhood, bringing out the loneliness. So for 11 years, Anna played by herself when she comes across Kylos in the woods. **

**The chapter was written to show Kylos's motivation, and what type of character he is to Anna, which is a mentor who also fills in that little hole of love her father never gave her. (UA remember) I'm sure that the movie told us that Anna loved her parents, but this will go as a UA and say that Anna wasn't as close to her parents as they make it out to be. **

**By the way, if you need some help with Kylos's appearance, it's a bit of a greying Hugh Jackman. I don't know what you make up, but in my mind it's mostly a greying Hugh Jackman.**

**Or you could just think of a nice man going from his middle ages to seniority.**

*****_**Fun fact: **_**Lise's name was originally Hilde, but I changed it because there was another Hilde circulating somewhere. So if I accidentally mention Hilde, that should be Lise's name I forgot to replace there. Pronunciation: (Lē' sǝ́) Kind of like Lis_a_, but the 'a' sound is cut short. **

_**~§~**_


	4. Chapter 4: Devastating News

**Summary: Three years before Elsa's coronation, the kingdom was controlled by a corrupt prime minister and his subjects. Three years after her parents died, Anna didn't always stay in the castle. Now, after regaining the monarchy, they must now try to correct what has been wronged.**

**Note: Pre-Frozen Chapter 4 of 6, Sorry it took me so long to update. Read later for details.**

* * *

"I'll break the news to her," Kylos stated, "Or has somebody else done so already?"

"No, sir. She's in her lessons at the moment and the castle staff are waiting until she finishes to tell her," the dirty blonde replied. Kylos looked back at Frida who only stared back at him with sorrowful eyes.

He sighed, "Tell them to tell Anna to meet me in the castle's courtyard. I'll tell her of this bitter incident which has befallen us."

Lise nodded and stepped off Kylos's porch, "I'll make sure to tell Kai. It was nice meeting you Master Kylos, however the unfortunate circumstance. I can see why Anna is fond of your time together."

"Likewise, Lise. Make sure no body tells her until I get there, unless her sister wishes to do so. Goodbye Lise, stay safe. I suppose we'll see each other soon."

The maidservant nodded again, understanding his statement. With downcast eyes, she left the Master-at-Arms's house and made her way back to the castle.

Kylos closed the door, his eyes lingering to the floor before he made his way over to Frida. The two wrapped themselves in an embrace. "Do you want to come with me into the castle? I'm sure nobody would mind."

"As much as I would, Anna needs to talk to you first. I don't know how she'll take the news," Frida said.

"Neither do I."

"Here," Frida broke away and gave Kylos a handkerchief, "She'll need this when you tell her." Kylos took it from her hands and put it in her jacket. "And she'll need you." The couple hugged once more before Kylos walked out of their house.

* * *

Kai was a bit surprised to see the Master-at-Arms arrive, but was soon relieved. If he was honest, he did not want to be the one to bring Anna's world down. Though he couldn't fathom why the Master-at-Arms would come and be the one to break the news. He nodded in respect and gave him the letter, explaining the incident. The Master shook his head and Kai led him to the door where Anna was being taught her school lessons, where they met up with the maidservant, Lise. He had pulled the teacher out earlier and told him of the news, but told him to keep Anna busy until they worked up a plan.

"Just through this door?" Master Kylos asked.

"Yes," Kai confirmed as Lise nodded.

"I take it her sister knows?" Master Kylos inquired, folding up the letter.

"She was one of the first to know. She didn't want to be the one to break the news however," Kai explained.

Master Kylos let out a nervous breath, "Prepare the staff and yourself for the changes to come. I have a feeling it will hit the kingdom with a major impact."

"Good luck, sir," Kai said, nodding. Despite only knowing the man for a couple of minutes, Kai could see why the Master was chosen to tell the Princess.

"Thank you," said Kylos, "I'll take her out to the gardens." With that, he signaled Kai and Lise to open the door.

The great wooden doors to the library opened and the three sucked in their breaths, their anxiety getting the best of them. The voices that had been chatting a second ago reached an abrupt stop as two pairs of eyes looked at the intrusion. Kylos peaked inside and took in the sight of the library. It was smaller than he remembered it to be, but he had last visited it 18 years ago.

His eyes landed on the 15-year-old girl and what he presumed to be her teacher. He quickly glanced back to Lise and Kai before stepping inside.

"Master Kylos!" Anna exclaimed in surprise. The teacher got up and walked over to Kylos, his arm stretched out for a hesitant handshake.

Kylos grasped the hand and whispered something briefly into the teacher ear. To Anna's puzzlement, her teacher only nodded before he looked back at Anna.

"Anna, come here," he said. Obediently, Anna made her way to the two teachers. She wore a dumbfounded look as her eyes stayed trained on Kylos. Never had she seen her weapons' master in the castle. They had always stayed at the clearing. Now seeing him here, with Lise and Kai behind him, made her wary. Something wasn't right.

"I need to talk to you," Kylos said. Instantly, Anna felt her stomach drop. Had someone found out their secret lessons? Did someone report them to the castle? But she looked behind him and saw that Lise and Kai wore matching expressions of solemnity. What was going on?

"I'll explain to you once we get to the gardens," Kylos stated, knowing what was going through her mind, "You're not in trouble, but I have to tell you something." Kylos stretched out his hand and waited for Anna to take it.

Anna tore her gaze from the master and looked at her teacher. The teacher nodded as soon as he saw look at him. Wordlessly, Anna took the hand and allowed Kylos to lead her to the gardens.

* * *

She was beginning to worry. Well, she had already started to worry. No, she was beginning to get anxious and very apprehensive. So far, Kylos had stayed quiet the whole time they had walked to the library. Anna saw him fidget with a piece of paper in his other hand. Was he being fired or promoted? Was he being banished? Was she in trouble? The questions raced through her mind as they walked through the castle corridors, but she was too afraid to ask them, for fear she would not like any of the answers.

Finally, a few minutes of anxiety later, the two reached the gardens. Kylos lead her to a bench under the huge willow tree and sat her down.

Gathering up the courage to speak, Anna asked, "Kylos, what's going on?"

"Anna, there's some bad news I have to tell you. The others wanted to wait until later, but I didn't want to withhold this from you."

"Kylos, what are you talking about?" Anna lowered her voice, "You're scaring me."

The statement had made everything a thousand times worse. Kylos's heart cracked right there and he knew it would shatter to a million more pieces once he told her the news.

He handed her the paper in his hand and she took it with hesitation. As soon as he saw her reading it, he spoke aloud when he knew she had reached the paragraph.

"Anna, I'm sorry, but your parents… there was a huge storm and… I'm sorry, Princess, but they didn't make it."

…_We send our condolences. The King and Queen of Arendelle is confirmed dead. We have not been able to salvage the bodies of the crew nor the royals and we send our personal Ambassador of the Royals and/or the High Bishop of the Kingdom will arrive in two days time to discuss the will of the King and Queen as well as bestow the power of the kingdom to the regent or a temporary ruler if the regent is not of age…_

Anna couldn't believe her eyes and ears as she was given the news. She tore her eyes away from the letter and was met with a teary gaze from her weapons' master. Anna shook her head in disbelief, slowly standing up, "No, no, no, nonononono. Y-you're kinding me right. Y-you're kidding?" She felt her voice crack, but she couldn't help feel hysteric. "This is all just a joke. No. This is just a joke." Anna began backing away from Kylos.

As he suspected, his heart did break into a million pieces. He watched the Princess deny the news, but it all but obliterated his heart when she began backing away from him as she accused him of lying. His breath caught in his throat, and the old man reached out to grab the 15-year-old's arms before she could run away. She looked back into his eyes.

"I'm _sorry_."

And the news finally caught up with her. She couldn't deny it anymore. The barrier finally broke and the Princess broke into a sob as she rushed into the arms of the old Master and clung on as if her life depended on it.

* * *

Elsa had seated herself by the window as a blizzard, frozen in time, covered her whole room. All the furniture in the room had at least 3 inches of snow on top of it. She had gotten the news a few hours earlier and she couldn't bring herself to tell her little sister. Afterall, she'll only cause more damage, both emotionally and physically.

She sat by the window in a curled up position where her knees touched her face. She had been crying the whole time she had been given the news, and was (metaphorically) frozen to that spot. She sat in silence, as usual, but this time it felt defeaning. It hurt. The only ones who ever held her were gone.

"_Kylos, what's going on?_" Elsa lifted her head, ignoring the newly spurring feeling of fresh sorrow. It sounded like it came from outside her window. Wiping the tears off her face, she looked she looked outside, wiping off the frost that had formed on her window.

There she saw something that broke her heart. Anna was seated beside some old man, looking worried. "_You're scaring me," _Anna's voice came again. She could only see the back of Anna's head, but she knew what her sister looked like when she was frightened. Elsa immediately realized that this stranger named Kylos was just telling Anna about their parents' death. She didn't want to watch, but found herself unable to look away.

Elsa watched the old man give Anna a piece of paper, the one that they had handed her earlier that day. After a while the old man spoke, "_Anna, I'm sorry, but your parents… there was a huge storm and… I'm sorry, Princess, but they didn't make it._"

She watched as her little sister tried to deny the news, and that all but made the scene more difficult to watch. She knew she should be the one down there, but she'd given up that right a long time ago. _Ever since she had struck Anna with her powers_. Anna tried to run off, but the old man grabbed her hand. She couldn't hear him, but she knew the two words he uttered, "_I'm sorry._"

New, hot tears fell down her face as she watched her little sister break into sobs, taking in the news.

She couldn't handle it anymore. She'd failed to console her sister in her greatest time of need. Elsa began to weep again, thinking of all the failures she had committed. Unlike her sister, however, she had no one to hold.

* * *

"Anna," Kylos called from outside her door. For the past few days, Anna had locked herself in her room, opening up to no one, not even Lise. Kai and Gerda began to get concerned, so they asked Lise to find Kylos once again. Dutiful as he was, Kylos had left Anna alone, knowing that she would need some time to herself, but after he heard that she had not eaten for 3 days, he immediately set off to the castle.

To their luck, Anna had opened the door for him. He knew she'd been hit hard with the death of her parents, so he didn't prompt her to talk at all. Instead, he only forced her to eat her food, knowing that starvation would get Anna nowhere. At first, Anna didn't want to eat anything. But when he brought over some of Frida's food, she willingly ate it.

It was the 10th day of mourning and the funeral was to take place in a few hours. Kylos had talked to Anna and convinced her to attend the funeral.

"_Because if you don't do it now, you'll regret it later,"_ He had said. And as much as Anna hated to admit it, he was right.

Anna opened her door, and Kylos stood still, glancing at her dress. She was wearing all black and wore it with a grave expression.

"Are you ready?"

Anna nodded and stepped into the hallway. "Thanks," she whispered to her mentor.

Kylos only flashed her a sad smile, "Lise and Kai are waiting for you downstairs. They're about to board the carriage." Anna gave no response. "And, Frida is there also. She said she wanted to be with you."

Anna gave a humorless laugh, "I'll meet you downstairs." Kylos bowed his head in agreement and Anna walked off.

Kylos stayed where he stood, waiting until Anna had left.

As soon as she started down the stairs, Kylos set off slowly to her sister's door. He had heard from Lise that Elsa wasn't attending the funeral. At first he'd just assumed that Princess Elsa was going to the funeral, but Lise had delivered the news to him a few hours prior to knocking on Anna's door. Though he could understand, he stood by his statement to Anna. If she doesn't attend, there would be no second chances. During his stay at the castle, his purpose to make sure that the younger Princess ate and took care of herself in the bare minimum, but he had never made contact with the older Princess. Of course, there were rumors in the castle that said that Princess Elsa never has and never will step foot from her room, and he was starting to believe them.

But he had to at least try. It took him a long time to convince the 15 year old to come, and because of his lack of contact with the 18-year-old, he didn't know how long it would take him to convince her. Now, he had only less than 5 minutes before the carriage would leave and take them to the burial site.

Kylos approached Elsa's door and suddenly felt a change in the air temperature. It felt cold, as if it had been isolated from the rest of the castle, and left a nervous feeling in his stomach. But fear and anxiety wasn't a foreign feeling to the Master-at-Arms. Kylos raised his fist, pausing for a moment in reluctance, then knocked on the wooden door.

Kylos waited a few seconds, but received no response. Logical sense told him that Elsa might not be in the room, but his instincts said that there was a person inside keeping silent. Kylos sucked in his breath and knocked once more. Again, there was no response, but the Master-at-Arms couldn't leave it at that.

"Princess Elsa," he called, "I know you're in there. Um…" He let out a nervous breath, "I'm Master Kylos, the Master-at-Arms–or perhaps the former–of Arendelle Castle. I've been with your sister and I need to tell you something, your highness. It's the same thing I've told your sister." He cleared his throat, "If you don't attend, you'll regret it. You only have one chance to go and say your farewells forever. Please take this opportunity, your highness." Still no response. "Your sister is wondering where you are, and she'll need you. She's told me of her lonely life, and, your highness, she needs someone right now."

With that, Kylos left, hoping that Elsa would change her mind and come. Unfortunately, it wouldn't happen.

From the other side of the wooden door, the older Princess was huddled against the door frame in grief. The blizzard that she had caused a few days ago had vanished, and instead a light snow fell from nowhere. She had stopped crying long ago, but the feelings of sorrow were still settled deep inside her.

The older princess had no intention of moving or saying anything, but one of those rules can be broken. She uttered four words.

"Take care of her."

* * *

**I tried making this as sad as I could, but I'm not very good with these scenes. As you see, I'm trying to follow the story line of frozen, just as a UA (Universe Alteration). Two more chapters are coming up before I bring you to post-movie. I had first intended it to be one, but I realized I needed to split this one chapter and merge two later chapters together.**

**So a note of my lack of update. Sorry about that by the way. The thing is, I like to keep at least three to four chapters ahead of the story in case I need to make some edits to some chapters before I publish them. I'm writing Chapter 8 at the moment and it has a lot of internal monologue-ing, description, and not much dialogue–something that I unfortunately, have trouble with. On that note, Chapter 5 might take a while to get published. But don't worry, this is one of those stories I'm not going to abandon. ****Thank you for your reviews and follows by the way. And I promise to get Chapter 5 up, it might be a long wait though.**

_**~§~**_


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